


This Was Never Part of the Plan (indefinite Hiatus)

by Fallencellist



Series: Dragon's Love [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Blackwatch Era, M/M, More tags to be added, Scion Hanzo Shimada, Shimada Clan, Torture, Undercover, Yakuza Hanzo Shimada, hinted Gabe/Ana in the past, miscellaneous Shimada Clan members
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-05 17:15:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14623383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fallencellist/pseuds/Fallencellist
Summary: You can't expect the plan to go right every time with Blackwatch, but having two missions in a row go awry? That was making a new record none of them wanted to have.The mission was to go in, get intel on the new leader of the Shimada Clan and either get out or take down the clan before anyone became the wiser. How quickly things could change. . .





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In honor of my return to Overwatch writing and the fact that I **adore** the Scion Hanzo skin, I decided to do some writing for an AU. Kind of gives away who the new leader of the Shimada Clan in the tags, but hey, should be expected from a Hanzo main! I'm still deciding what sort of ship I want for this which is why (as of posting this chapter) there is no relationship. It will probably come out to be McHanzo, but I was debating on Hanzo/Mercy. 
> 
> Let me know which one you prefer and what you think about the story so far! Fair warning though, this will get dark in the next chapter. Enjoy! ♥

“Alright,” Reyes’ voice came out as a sigh, running his hand across the shaved head before replacing the beanie on his skull, “this is going to be a difficult mission. Things were rough the last time we were Italy, so the Boy Scout has graced us with a second chance.” There was bitterness in Gabe’s words, something that was different than the way things once were. Jack and Gabe used to be so close, Ana mixed between the two. Poor Captain didn’t ask to be put between the two of them, the three of them were so close with Torb and Reinhardt. Now, things were falling apart after the Venice incident. 

Jesse couldn’t exactly blame Jack and Ana for being pissed off at Gabe—what happened with Antonio was a mistake, something that shouldn’t have happened. Despite how much he was pissed off, Reyes didn’t deserve the shitstorm that continued to rage at full force around him. He was being observed closely, now in the light of everyone. There was scrutiny and hate thrown at him almost every day, even from others that worked for Overwatch—even a few Blackwatch members left. Shit had hit the fan and now it was getting even worse. 

“We are going back to Italy?” Moira raised an eyebrow glancing up from the notes in her hands, “Isn’t that an idiotic move?” 

Reyes shook his head, “No, we will be heading to Japan,” he took a quick glance to see Genji’s reaction, only noticing a small twitch to his body, “Despite that failure, Pretty Boy wants us to group up with a few of the Overwatch agents to take down a group that has been long overdue to fall.” Something dark lit up in the ninja’s eyes—a chance for revenge. 

“Because of your connection, Genji,” Gabe focused on the cyborg, “You’re going to have to keep to the sidelines,” he raised a hand before the other could complain, “It will not end well if it’s discovered that first: you are a Shimada, and second: that you are alive.” He relaxed a bit more as Genji didn’t push the subject, “Jesse, you are going to go in undercover. Moira and I have been working extensively with Gérard to set up a new gang that you will be representing.” 

“Great, so it’ll be just like how it was back in the Deadlock gang,” Jesse grimaced at the idea, becoming a mere lacky, “So what’s my job and what’s the name?” 

“Don’t be so sour,” Moira gave a small mocking smirk, “You shouldn’t be insulting you own gang, that doesn’t look good for your reputation. The Deadeye gang took a lot of work you know.” She glanced to her nails before humming, “Just make sure to be creative with your name and don’t make it so obvious. Now that our faces are out we’re going to have to make sure any of us are unrecognizable.” Even if it was slightly blurry pictures of them, their images were still out in the open. 

Jesse whistled, his own gang? Well, it wasn’t quite an actual gang since it was all made up, but hey, it still made him feel tough and stronger. That was the thing with Blackwatch’s highest ranked members: he felt so normal compared to the others. Genji was mostly machine, able to withstand a lot of pain (at least in his cybernetic parts) and could move at inhuman speeds. Moira had her machine that bent life and death to her will and Gabe was already strong with the enhancements from the SEP, then with whatever the fuck Moira was doing to him, he was even stronger. Jesse, well he just had excellent aim with Peacekeeper—made him feel like he was so average compared to the others. 

Really, it didn’t bother him too much, but it still dug into him the wrong way at times. This at least made him feel a bit higher up. 

“Alright, guess I’ll go with Joel Deadeye, founder of the Deadeye gang,” he gave a small glare towards Gabe as a snort escaped his commander, “What? It’s not going to be the actual name; most gangs don’t actually use their real name!” 

“For some reason I feel like that name is going to haunt you,” Reyes shook his head before noticing they had company, “Ah, glad you guys finally decided to show up.” Jesse turned around to find Lena and Angela standing in the doorway, “Only you two or did Morrison forget about a few?” 

“Just the two of us,” Cadette Lena giggled, “Reinhardt may join us later, and Ana will be keeping in contact with us to feed information as more comes in.” It’s not hard to see the pain that wells up in Gabe’s eyes—Jesse could see it miles away. That was another thing that he felt bad for his commander: after Venice, Gabe and Ana’s relationship hit a rocky point—rocky meaning a whole fucking cliffside. 

The two used to talk all the time, making those icky lovey faces at each other like a married couple would do—commonly finding the two holding hands at the least. Now, they hardly talked to each other outside of the professional atmosphere. Something big happened after Jesse was told to leave the break room when Ana had come in that one day after Venice. 

But, sadly that wasn’t the focus for him right now. The mission was priority, “Nice to have ya gals along with us for the ride,” McCree tipped his hat with a smile, “Your expertise will be greatly appreciated.” 

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Reyes interrupted, beginning to shove all five people out of the door towards the transport, ignoring the sounds of protest rising into the air, “We’ve got a tight schedule and we need to make sure we keep to it.” He continued to herd the group through the hallway down to the hanger bay. 

The ship they were flying wasn’t an Overwatch craft—they would be spotted instantly, and their targets would never even dare get near. This ship was crafted specifically to be more stealthy and unidentifiable, a special design by Torbjörn himself, one he was rather proud of. It traveled fast and made as little noise that was physically possible. It hummed like a few bees buzzing through the air together. A stealthy approach to their desired location was exactly what they needed. 

Reyes nearly shoved them into the craft, the interior looking as if it was created for somebody of royalty and high class: a bar situated in the room nearby the cockpit and lounging chairs spread around the open area. In the back was a section off area where beds were stacked atop each other like little compartments. 

“Get comfortable, this flight won’t be excessively long,” Reyes commanded as he moved towards the front to inform the pilot of their presence, “We’re all here, let’s get this show on the road.” The conformation came from the cockpit before the engine roared to life. Moments later they were airborne, quickly heading towards their desired location of Hanamura. 

Genji sat himself on one of the chairs a bit farther away, his eyes focusing on the clouds as they passed by below them, scanning the area. Angela wasn’t too far from him, chatting with Lena while Moira was seated farthest back, her eyes trained to the notes. The geneticist never seemed to take a break from her notes unless she was in battle or was forced to. Gabe and Jesse were the only ones that kept towards the bar, Jesse himself sitting on one of the stools. 

“Hey, Reyes,” McCree softly let the words slip out, enough that Gabe glanced towards him, “I. . . I’m real sorry about getting so heated with you back in Venice,” He ran a hand over the back of his neck, “I wasn’t ready for what you did—I still don’t think it was the right thing to do, but you had other things to consider.” 

“Listen,” Gabe placed a hand on Jesse’s arm, getting it to lower from the nervous movements, “There’s a reason more than just I wanted to win that bet against Morrison about being able to train you. Despite being stuck in that hell hole of that gang, you had a pretty level head. I mean,” the commander chuckled, “you did break Morrison’s nose and threatened him and me during that interrogation, but otherwise you were a smart brat. You’ve got reasoning to you,” he offered a small smile, “I took you on because I knew you would be able to bring a level head to Blackwatch, be the voice of reason. And I may not listen to your reasoning all the time, but the times I have you haven’t steered me wrong.” 

The next words got Jesse’s heart to skip a few beats, “You’d make one hell of a commander one day.” 

“Y-ya really think so?” The gunslinger stammered, his face turning a slight red tinge, “I-I mean I’m flattered, but I never really saw myself as a commander.” 

“Too bad,” Gabe chuckled, “You’d probably even show up me with the right amount of training.” A few seconds passed before the two laughed, a smile spreading their lips after such a tense time. The tension slowly eased out, bringing rise to a more casual conversation about training and getting things back into the swing to make sure they were ready. As well, the subject of the mission came up. 

“Who is our main target?” Jesse inquired, one elbow resting against the curved bar, “From the intel gotten from Genj, the only one that could still be there running the Clan is either the Elders or _him_ ,” they didn’t speak the name or even say _his_ relation to Genji. If anything was a trigger for the cyborg it was his brother’s name. 

“We’re not quite sure,” the commander admitted, “Our intel says nothing about who’s running the Shimada Clan—that’s part of the reason we’re heading in. Rumors we’ve been able to catch have been saying the Clan has gotten even stronger—which shouldn’t make sense. They lost one of their scions—possibly both—so how could they be getting stronger?” Gabe ran a hand through his beard, his eyebrows twisting in a knot close together, “That’s why we are here: find out as much information as possible and, if we can, take the Clan down. If they are getting stronger there’s a chance they could move far beyond Asia and Europe. Who knows what a group like that could do to the world.” 

The Shimada Clan already had a large grip on businesses. Genji had told them about the deals his father had, the friends in high places and even debts he had hanging over officials in office and in other businesses. Sojiro Shimada was a businessman that was to be admired and feared all the way to his death. The man knew his way around deals, making it benefit his side much more than the others, but made them feel like they got the long end of the stick. Records and rumors had stated the eldest Shimada could easily get the most unwilling of business partners to agree to things, make anyone feel like they were welcomed at their own execution, willing to put their head below the blade. Made Jesse shiver thinking about what would have happened if the deal between the Deadlock Gang and the Shimada Clan went through—or even if Sojiro had agreed to join with Talon. The Venice mission would have gone down a hell lot different if Talon had the power of the eldest Shimada on their side that was for sure. 

Luckily, neither Talon or even the Shimada Clan held such power anymore. Jesse felt a bit bad for admitting he was glad the man was gone, especially since Genji had opened to him saying that his father was the one he missed the most. Kid loved his father to death, completely crushed when he had fallen ill and didn’t take his death well either. 

“So I go in,” Jesse started, tilting his head up at a minuscule angle, “hang around for a bit until I start drawing the attention of the Shimada Clan—hopefully get an audience with their new leader, get as much information as I can then hightail it out of there, report back to you and either we give the info back to base or take out the fuckers ourselves?” His own face lights up with a smile as Gabe grins. 

“Pretty much.” 

“Quick question,” he waits to hear the hum from his commander, “What am I going to be even offering to the clan? They’ve already got a lot of stuff in the market—what could I offer that they would want?” 

The grin changed a bit on Gabe’s face, seeming to darken a bit, “We’ve already got that set up with the help of Moira's research, with her permission,” both glanced back towards where the geneticist lingered, “We’ve already established you have some new enhancements that could change the tide of any battle—and that easily brought the scum out of their holes. There is a meeting set up between you and one of the lower ranked members of the clan. We don't have the details yet, but you'll probably get them a few hours after we arrive in Japan.” 

The plan seemed pretty solid, getting Jesse to hum out with how impressed he was, “Gotta hand it to you, jefe, you’re plans are always so well thought out—as long as you stick to them,” he got a look from Gabe before adding, “You got a plan B?” 

“Oh,” the commander hummed, “Plan A is to leave without confronting the leader, plan B is take them out.” 

“For once, I’m hoping it’s plan B.” 

“How the tides change.” 

Only an hour passed after that before the pilot informed them they were going to touch down in a matter of moments. 

Gently, the ship landed in a pad not too far from the outskirts of Hanamura. Even if the ship was nearly untraceable, they didn’t want it to be too close to the Shimada Clan’s main base. 

The grass around their landing sight started to settle down at the propellers slowed to a halt, the smell of blooming cherry blossoms heavy in the air. Reyes stretched his arms, turning to the others strewn around the interior of the ship, “Alright, Genji help Angela with the medical supplies, Jesse and Lena you get the equipment and we’ll head to our base.” 

The supplies were grabbed with a short walk before they reached their camp. It was a small building, looking to only house about two people. The yard was large, covered in grass and surrounded by cherry blossom trees. A pond was situated in the back, the first thing they saw as they approached from behind. At one time this home was abandoned but was fixed up to function as their base camp. Inside there were a few rooms: a place to eat and cook food, a room to relax, a small bathroom with a shower and two bedrooms parallel to each other in the hallway. It was a tiny house compared to what would usually be needed to house six people, but it would work. Jesse was already set up to be spending time in one of the most expensive hotels in Hanamura—one that was said to have some connections with the Shimada Clan. It was a perfect place to continue his mission to draw their attention. 

Angela offered to join Jesse in the hotel, getting a reluctant grunt of agreement from Reyes. They needed to travel in pairs as much as possible—and Genji had to stay in the home to help with relaying information as well as keep hidden from the eyes of his old clan. It wasn’t much of a problem for the ninja: he would love to end the sorry souls that were tied to his death, but after a talk from Reyes and Angela, it sank in what was needed of him. If worse came to worse and they were in a sticky situation they could get Genji’s help. 

Jesse sat down the crate he was carrying, the scent of fruit catching his senses to tell it held some food supplies. They were going to be situated for a few days, if not a few weeks. To get into the expertly weaved web of the Shimada Clan required a lot of finesse and work—more than what could be done within a day or two. Most of their supplies would be from what they brought, Jesse and Angela getting some other things why they stayed in the hotel. 

“Alright, Jesse,” Reyes tossed him some rather fancy clothes, before tossing some to Angela as well, “You and Angela need to get changed right away and head out to your hotel,” he pointed a gloved finger at two suitcases, “inside those are your stuff to make it look like you are visiting as well as some devices.” He began to pace around the room, a tick Gabe had even when in the comfort of the base, “When you get into the hotel room search for any bugs and use the tracker to find any expertly hidden ones. Another device will jam any frequency but a specific one that we will be communicating on: between us and as well as back to home base.” 

He turned to Moira, “O’Deorain, you’ll be monitoring the two on the field and feeding them information.” 

“Right,” Moira hummed, her calm exterior hiding the annoyance at having to play liaison to the two children rather than focusing on her work. The price to be paid to work with such a group like Blackwatch. At least it was relaying information rather than having to pretend to be either below or even _dating_ McCree. 

“Genji and I will be keeping back here,” Reyes glanced to Genji who gave a small thumb up, “we will be back up if you two get into a lot of trouble.” 

“We’ll be fine, jefe,” Jesse chuckled, noticing the skeptical look on Angela’s face—as well as the same look from the others, “Okay, we’ll probably be fine. But hey,” he grinned and gave a shrug that was signature to his commander, “if we get into trouble we can always fight our way out of it.” 

“Don’t go looking for it,” Genji added in a flat tone, “The moment you are on the Clan’s hit list, you will have dozens of assassins wanting your head.” He played with a few of the cables that hung from the back of his head, eyes focused on the ground in front of him, “And it has been yet to happen where the bounty is not collected within a week.” Jesse rubbed his hand over the front of his neck as his grimaced at the idea. 

“Keep out of trouble as much as possible, right,” He nodded before heading to the bathroom in the back to change. The door lock didn’t seem to work, having to leave it open just a smidgen. Jesse sat the neatly folded clothing next to the sink bowl, beginning with taking off his uniform. As each part was removed it was folded with care and set to the other side of the sink. The pants came off first followed by everything else above. 

Another grimace graced his face, picking up the pants he needed to change into. They were a dark gray in color, dress pants by the fine fabric and the shape of them. Grumbling, the gunslinger slipped them on before picking up the dress shirt. God, he was going to be a suit! Luckily, he wasn’t stuck with a blazer or suit jacket, rather a deep red waist coat that appeared black until light reflected off its surface. Velvet. Jesse had to stop himself from continuing to run his hand down the fabric to continue getting ready. No tie was included for this ensemble, but black dress shoes with a silver buckle were there to complete the ensemble. One of the many outfits he would be wearing over the time of his mission. 

Jesse adjusted the waist coat before exiting the room, hearing Angela and Lena chattering to each other. Guess she was already done changing. 

What he came to see made his heart skip a few beats. Angela was dressed in a beautiful red dress that went down far enough that her toes barely poked out. It was fit to her curves with short sleeves and a small collar. Both the sleeves and the collar were lined with gold and starting from her sternum down an embroidered peacock spread it’s feather all the way down from her hips to her knees. Small red orbs hung from her ears and a few golden rings clung onto her fingers. She was beautiful! 

“Wow,” McCree voiced his amazement, getting both girls to look over at him, “You look absolutely stunnin’ in that dress, Angela.” Her face turned a small tint of red before giving a bow to Jesse, “Better be careful otherwise the Shimada boss might try to take you instead.” 

“Enough gawking McCree,” Gabe snorted, waiting for the gunslinger’s attention to focus on him, “You need to get going, you have to check into your hotel in an hour and it’s going to take forty-five minutes to get there.” The commander ushered both to put in their earpieces before shooing them towards the door. 

“There’s a car parked by the street,” Reyes tossed the keys to Jesse, “Don’t crash it and don’t lose it.” 

“Will do, jefe!” Jesse waved with the hands holding the keys, “Wish us luck!” He picked up the suit case that was designated to be Angela’s before bringing it along to the car, Genji delivering Jesse's before returning inside. 

The model of car wasn’t something either had really seen—a high class model that screamed it was expensive—Jesse would have to take his paycheck for the next century to pay off this vehicle if he had bought it. The trunk popped open with the press of a button and the two suitcases were situated in. Jesse went to the passenger’s side, opening the door for Angela, “Let me help you out there little lady.” 

Angela giggled, but didn’t respond more before sitting down. Walking around, Jesse sat in the driver’s seat and started the engine. Moments later they were on the road towards the mission. 

“Are you a bit nervous for this?” Jesse gave a quick glance to Angela, noticing she had been playing with her hair a bit more than usual. Unlike her original blonde hair, the doctor’s hair had been dyed black, let loose and her eyes changed to a bright green. Jesse himself kept his hair similar, his beard trimmed clean and the color a few shades darker. He felt naked without his hat. 

“A bit,” Angela admitted, letting her hands fall down to rest on her lap, “I’ve heard some of the things Genji has said about the Clan, things that make me nervous and disgusted.” Her expression turned sour, “they have things that could help so many people, but instead of sharing it they sell it off to people who could afford it, even pharmaceutical companies who want to make sure it’s never out. On top of that they sell weapons to people who shouldn’t be even allowed to bear arms.” 

“Just think of it this way,” Jesse smiled at her, “By doing this we are getting one step closer to taking down these guys.” 

Angela gave a smile back, “That will help me sleep at night,” and then she let out a soft laugh, “I’d also love to either punch or maybe throw a drink on their leader.” Jesse chuckled, hearing those words come from the doc who was usually calm and wanted to avoid conflict was rather amusing. 

The car pulled up to the front of the hotel, the exterior showing just how grand the place was. Just another thing that would leave Jesse in horrific debt for a couple of lifetimes. A man came over, one of the hotel staff to greet them—opening the door for Angela before she could get out and giving a warm and friendly smile to Jesse as he got out, “Welcome to the Oasis hotel,” he bowed his head before calling another to retrieve the bags, “You are new faces, so you must be the Rothenbergs.” It was a little off putting that the man knew exactly who they were, but Jesse brushed it off as being friendly and prepared. 

Jesse popped open the trunk and the other hotel staff member pulled out the suitcases with ease despite his short stature. The man from before helped Angela up and onto the sidewalk, “Please follow me,” another came over, the valet driver, taking the keys handed over to him before heading to the driver’s side. 

Jesse and Angela followed the man to the front desk, waiting as he spoke to the woman behind the counter in Japanese. Both turned and smiled to them, the man bowing his head before excusing himself to help with another couple arriving. 

“Welcome,” the woman continued to smile as she gave a bow, “I just need a few more moments to check you in then you can head up to your room.” She began typing, humming a soft tune to herself as she worked. Jesse exchanged a glance with Angela before the receptionist glanced back up, “Alright, almost done, just need you to sign your name on the screen,” she pointed a finger to the aforementioned screen, “then you are all set.” 

Jesse quickly signed his name, making sure to remember to do so with the alias of his alias. So many names to remember it could have been hard to keep track of. Once finished he was handed a small card the numbers 314 etched into it, “Enjoy your stay,” the woman smiled. 

“Thank ya kindly,” McCree had to stop himself from tipping the invisible hat upon his head before turning towards the elevator. He hooked elbows with Angela, the bellboy close behind with their luggage. As they approached the elevator, behind them a bit of commotion was heard. People seemed to tense up, Jesse could feel the spark of change in the people’s stances. 

His eyes turned back, noticing a figure walk into the hotel. He stood tall despite being shorter than Jesse, wearing an outfit of black accented with a bright blue. Something almost seemed familiar about him. His hair was slicked back, spiking up in the back. 

The bellboy cleared his throat to get Jesse’s attention that the elevator was there, pulling his focus away. Jesse let out an embarrassed chuckle before entering the elevator. The doors gradually closed, giving just a moment where his eyes met with the man who had entered. He felt cold. 

The ride up was quick and quiet, Jesse’s mind focusing on the man who had came in. Everyone seemed to hold him in high respect, bowing before him as he passed by—craving his attention but at the same time not drawing attention to themselves. That man was the main attraction, somebody who drew the focus of everyone around him. He had to be important. The way he looked… those eyes were so strong, beckoning Jesse to him. A silent siren song singing him to his doom. 

The three stepped off the elevator, a few turns down the hallway and they were in front of their room. The card easily slid into the slot, the door clicking to signify it was open. Jesse opened the door, inviting Angela inside first and held it for the bellboy as well. 

Their room showed just how expensive it was: everything looked to cost an arm and a leg and then some. It was mostly shades of blues and greys, a cool contrast to the red Jesse and Angela wore. The kitchen attached to the living room was a full size with a stove, oven, microwave, fridge with both a breakfast bar and a table to dine at. The living room had a large TV mounted to the wall with a luxurious couch and a few reclining chairs around it and a coffee table a few feet in front of the couch. Two sliding doors opened out to the balcony overseeing the courtyard below where the large swimming pool was location as well as areas to sunbathe and a hot tub in the corner. The bedroom was on the floor above, a beautiful glass spiral staircase leading up. 

The bellboy placed down the luggage before bowing to the two, “If you need anything don’t hesitate to call the front desk or room service. Enjoy your stay,” he bowed his head once more before leaving—closing the door behind him. 

The two lingered a few moments, waiting minutes after the footsteps faded away. Once they felt the bellboy was a safe distance away, they began their search of the rooms for any bugs. Every piece of furniture and every inch of the walls, floors and ceiling were search over, and unsurprisingly a few were found. However, to their surprise the number of listening devices were not even in the double digits. Only four out of the whole place. Their own devices didn’t pick up anymore—Jesse and Angela quickly turning off the ones they found. 

“Should be clean,” Jesse hummed before plucking out the next device needing to be used. It was a pretty simple design: turn it on, turn one knob to find the right frequency to communicate then a few buttons and another knob and it would block any other frequencies from being used as well as stop people from being able to slip into theirs. 

“Jefe come in,” McCree spoke into his earpiece, waiting to hear a response, “We’ve officially established the nest and removed all faulty twigs.” 

“Roger,” Reyes’ voice came over the receiver, “when you familiarize yourself enough with the room start working on a routine for today. In your luggage there is a map marked with locations where the Shimada Clan’s activity has been the highest. I’d suggest trying to go to no more than two places of high activity and avoid going directly to the area around their Castle. Ease yourself into it, you don’t want to come off either desperate or suspicious.” 

“Right,” Jesse responded, taking a moment before continuing, “Jefe, I may have seen somebody of some significance in the lobby before we went up to our room.” He heard a hum come from the other side, “Guy had a real presence to him—made everyone practically grovel at his feet.” 

“Damn,” the commander sounded impressed, “Did you get a good look at him? If he commanded that much respect from others he has to be the new leader of the Shimada Clan.” 

“I didn’t get too good of a look—he was wearing a suit with a lot of blue—had his hair slicked back and spiked up—black hair. Didn’t get a look at his face to give details on that, but he’s a really well-built guy, packing the toned body.” 

Reyes snorted on the other side, “Next time how about you don’t pay attention to how he appeals to your sexuality and focus on the details that could be more helpful instead.” Jesse stammered, not being able to get out a fully formed sentence before he was cut off by his commander, “Keep an eye out again anyways, if you see him again get a good look so we can see if he’s in the database.” 

“Right,” the gunslinger was finally able to get out, running a hand over his face, “Talk to you later boss.” He disconnected from the channel, turning to Angela, “Feel like taking a trip around to see the sights?” 

The doctor hummed before nodding, “It would be good to get a feeling of the place. It is always helpful to know your surroundings.” She picked up the small purse resting on the counter top, rummaging around to find something among the contents. Pulling out a pocket mirror, Angela opened it up to reveal a small chip. A small reader left behind to keep a record of anyone who stepped into their room. It would activate by movement, triggering the miniature cameras situated in the room. 

While she pulled out the chip Jesse himself had bought out the map, memorizing the locations, focusing specifically on the ones around their location. The hotel they were staying it was a prime spot, six other spots circled the building despite being a few miles away from the Shimada Castle. His focus changed, seeing what Angela was holding. 

“Ah,” Jesse grinned at the small device, watching as she placed the chip behind one of the coat hooks towards the front door, “That would be a good idea—just to make sure nobody snoops around.” He grinned before offering his elbow out for Angela to take. 

The doctor took his arm, humming softly, “You know Gabriel would kill us if we forgot to do that.” A pause rose in her steps as Jesse opened the door for her like the gentleman he was—giving a small curtsy in return before stepping outside, “Where are we heading to first?” 

Gently the door was closed, hearing the click as the lock shifted into place, “First stop is the nearby park—apparently despite bein’ child friendly, that place has a lot of fishy business goin’ on its grounds.” Looking at the map they couldn’t tell if there was playground equipment or if it was one of the more classical parks with trails of sidewalks and benches to sit at when tired. 

The two turned down the hallway, Jesse pressing the button to call the elevator when they reach the end. Brown eyes trail around the hallway, noticing just how bare it looked. The walls were painted a brighter blue-gray, but it still felt so empty. A few painting lined the walls, splashes of color among the coldness. Inviting, yet so distant at the same time. 

He wrinkled his nose at the choice of decorations, shaking his head as he returned to waiting for the elevator. Angela beside him shifted in her spot, working out some of the nervous feelings running through her system. 

They both breath out a near sigh of relief as the door opened, revealing the interior to be empty. Jesse guided Angela in before pressing the button for the lobby. Another silent ride down ensued, the gunslinger letting his eyes wander around the small enclosed area. There wasn’t much in the ways of space within the lift—large enough to hold almost a dozen average sized humanoid beings (not comfortably at least), and the back side was exposed to show the courtyard surrounded by the building. What was up with the Japanese and cherry blossom trees? There was at least five he could see from the descending elevator in the courtyard alone. He guessed it was because they looked pretty when they bloomed and smelled nice. 

His whole world shuttered as the lift came to a stop, the bright red lights shaped into the form of “LL” above the panel with the buttons. A soft ding echoed out before the single door rolled open to the lobby. Since their last visit to this place things had seemed to settle down, a few businessmen lingering in the chairs with their magazines and glasses full of fancy alcoholic drinks. They chattered among each other, showing no physical action of acknowledging the two that had entered the area. 

The woman behind the desk noticed them, giving them a smile before waving to the valet driver to bring the couple their car. As the two left, the receptionist’s eyes never left them, lingering even moments after their forms disappeared into the car. The valet driver returned, giving a small nod to her. 

She picked up the phone, quickly dialing a few numbers before listening to the tone. As the line clicked to life, the woman seemed to tense up, her back straightening as if the one on the other end of the line could see her. The words came out slowly, flowing Japanese as she conversed with the man. 

“ _Yes,_ ” A nod of her head before she waited a few moments, “ _They have left their room, perhaps to go sightseeing. Shall I send somebody up?_ ” 

“ _No,_ ” the voice responding was harsh, a growl slipping into his words, “ _Stay on alert. I will see to this myself._ ” 

“ _Sir,_ ” the receptionist quickly silenced her voice, bowing her head and quickly speaking out, “ _I apologize. I will have a key ready for you when you arrive._ ” 

“ _Good,_ ” his voice seemed to calm yet still had the edge to it, “ _If they return why I am still in their room, stall them._ ” 

“ _Of course. We eagerly await your arrival, lord._ ” 

______________________________________________ 

Jesse grimaced, his legs starting to hurt with how much walking he ended up doing. The locations Angela and himself checked out where not too far away, but when some kid decided to try to steal Angela’s purse it became much harder. Hard to use his Blackwatch training when he was supposed to be undercover, ending up chasing the kid all the way across the park and back until Angela was able to convince the kid to give it back. Would have saved him a lot of trouble if she just did that in the beginning. 

The next place was a small office building, one that was owned by the Shimada Clan—secretly of course. Offices for lawyers—made McCree feel safe in Japan knowing that the yakuza had a hold on the law as well as the markets. How much of a hold did this group have? It was as if they had control over everything—and if they didn’t have their whole ass in the business, the Shimada Oyabun at least was pulling the strings, giving convincing arguments to sway the person to see it their way. 

Jesse still itched to know who the dastardly leader was. Whoever they were, they had to be pretty damn strong and smart to keep such an empire going. Sojiro did a good job continuing the legacy of centuries, bringing the clan’s reach outside of Japan into other parts of Asia, some of their influences even reaching towards Europe. The deal with the Deadlock Gang back in the states meant there was even more problems—they were eager to expand their reach farther than anyone else had dared. Did this clan want to take everything under their wing, to make sure they had all the power? The idea made the gunslinger shiver a bit. 

Angela’s face came into his line of sight, a concerned look washing over her visage, “Joel?” It took a moment to remember that was his cover name, “Are you alright?” 

“I’m a little tired,” he admitted, running a hand over his forehead before offering a worn-out smile, “I think I’m going to head back to the hotel and catch up my associates on things,” he planted a gentle kiss to her cheek, “meet you back there.” 

“Alright,” she smiled returning the kiss to his cheek. Soon after her attention was grabbed by the same young kid tugging gently at her dress. The child spoke in soft Japanese, keeping his gaze from looking up at her. She smiled and responded in fluent Japanese, getting the boy to perk up a bit. He took her hand before dragging her over towards the nearby lake. 

Jesse waved to her before heading back to the hotel, unphased by the fact he had disobeyed Reyes' order of only going to two locations. They had gone to three, not including returning to the park at the end. It was close enough he wouldn’t have to bother taking the car—a short walk. He hummed a tune to himself, adding a slight sway to his walk as he moved between the occasional group of people lingering around. The winding sidewalk lead him straight back to the hotel. Eyes watched him on the outside, a few people mumbling to each other. 

The words couldn’t be picked up—even if he could hear the words, the likely case would be he couldn’t even understand them. Should have taken the Japanese lessons from Gabe like what his commander wanted. Too late now, not that he could pick up the whole language within a few days anyways. He had the basic understanding to barely squeeze by. 

The man standing at the front doors greeted Jesse with a bright smile and a hello, getting one in return as they crossed paths. Friendly fellas despite the fact they were wrapped around such an evil clan’s leader. Thinking of at least saying hello to the receptionist was cut off when he noticed she was on the phone, her back to him and her fingers tightly gripping a pen. Best to leave her be so she could do her work. 

Bypassing the front desk Jesse went straight for the elevator. 

“McCree,” Gabe’s voice startled him, having to stop himself from screaming out and jumping ten feet into the air, “get to your room, somebody tripped the alert.” He didn’t need anything else before saying ‘fuck it’ to the elevator and bolting up the stairs. Three flights were nothing compared to the runs the Blackwatch commander made them run. Might as well be running from enemies—it would be easier. 

He burst through the stairwell door, letting his pace slow down to a quiet walk as he came closer to the room. 314. The door was closed, showing no signs of forced entry—had to be somebody working for or with the hotel to have such access. 

Cautiously, Jesse swiped the card over the lock, tensing as the sound echoed out to signal it was unlocked. Hopefully whoever was inside didn’t hear that. Carefully, the door was slid open inch by inch until there was barely enough room for him to slip in. 

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary: their luggage was still in the same place untouched, none of the cabinets were raided and everything was still situated were it was when the two had left. Where was the intruder? 

“Boss,” Jesse kept his voice quiet, “I don’t see where they are.” 

“I don’t either,” Gabe hissed, “Did you set up all the cameras in your suite?” The only thing Blackwatch was lacking was somebody who was good with technology. 

“We got most of them up,” Jesse admitted, giving a shrug thinking Gabe could see it, “We didn’t get a chance to set up the ones in the bedroom—” his words quickly cut off, hearing the creaking of a floorboard. Upstairs. A short cough indicated he couldn’t speak anymore and was going on radio silence. 

Picking up a bottle of complementary water that was conveniently in a glass bottle, Jesse crept towards the stairway, inching forward to glance around the corner right before the stairs. He held his breath, raising the bottle to smash it down on the intruder’s head. 

He turned, bringing down the bottle to strike—however, it never made contact. A strong grip wrapped around his arm, stopping any movement from bringing the bottle down. It was a swift action, almost inhuman for somebody to react so quickly unless they were expecting company. 

Jesse’s eyes trailed to the source of the hand: a man shorter than him. The very same man he saw in the lobby the first time—the one that commanded such respect from others. How respectable snooping through the guests’ hotel rooms. 

“’scuse me,” Jesse kept his tone calm as calm as possible, letting a bit of annoyance bubble up in his voice, “I don’t think this is your room.” His grip on the bottle relaxed, hoping it would show this man he meant no harm now that there was a face to the intruder. 

The grip didn’t let up. 

“Can I know why you are sneakin’ 'round my room?” Jesse pressed on, hoping to get something out of this man, maybe even his name if he was lucky. The dark eyes studied him, showing no sign of breaking the grimace nor the spark of something even darker than that which lingered around them. 

Finally, the other made a move, releasing his grip on Jesse’s arm. The afflicted limb was pulled back, a hand rubbing over the area that had been squeezed. Moments of silence passed as the eyes continued trained on him. 

“Not much of a talker are ya?” The attempted joke got Jesse to chuckle a bit, and only the very littlest sliver of an eyebrow raised from the mystery man, “Yeah. . . Listen, I know it’s embarrassin’ an’ all to be caught in another man’s room, but I’m willin’ ta let this slide if ya work with me here. How about—” 

Words were cut off, along with the air supply to his lungs. The man’s hand tightly gripped Jesse’s neck, pulling him down far enough he had to strain looking up to gaze into the other’s eyes. There was that dangerous glint. 

A hand reached back, pulling out a blade from seemingly nowhere. The blade itself was a beautiful blue color that was iridescent, shimmering purple and green depending on the angle. It was hard to see what exactly was carved into the blue surface but something delicately engraved was present on the pristine clean surface. The angle of the blade turned before being so carefully placed close to McCree’s ear—the one that held his earpiece. 

In a swift, almost painless movement, the device was stabbed and removed, shattered as the blade was lodged into the wall across the room. Jesse was without aid until the group could get there—he was blind. 

Finally, the man spoke, a wicked grin spreading his lips, “Do you think you are cleaver coming here, _Joel_?” The man’s voice was deep, stern, flowing so easily off the plush lips. No, Jesse don’t focus on his lips, keep focusing on his eyes to see if he was intending any more harm. 

“I wasn’t tryin’ ta sneak around or anything,” Jesse started, his words coming out with gasped breaths, his brain desperate for the vital supply of oxygen. 

“No,” the response was hissed angrily, “you thought I would be foolish enough not to notice,” he presented in his hand the chip along with the miniature cameras in his hand, “your little tricks.” His grip loosened only for a moment to throw Jesse on the nearest chair, pinning him down by putting his body in the way of the escape. 

“I wonder,” he chuckled, grabbing hold of Jesse’s chin, “who do you work for?” He waited for a moment to see if the information would be spilled. Jesse sneered, meaning nothing would come out, “Not going to talk? Good. I enjoy it more when they don’t talk.” 

The door opened, an omnic and a human male entering, clad in their black suits. They stood straight before bowing to the man, “Grab their bags,” the man ordered, “I think Mr. Rothenburg would be more comfortable staying at the castle.” Jesse tensed up. It was part of the job to get into the Shimada Castle, but this wasn’t quite the way he was expecting. Taken in by a lacky no doubt would look bad on his record. 

The human male bowed again before lifting the two bags, the omnic coming over to retrieve Jesse, “What shall we do about the other one, sir?” 

Sir? Well, not quite a lacky, Jesse grumbled softly to himself, maybe just a higher up lacky than these guys. 

“Leave her,” the one clad in blue hummed, hardly seeming upset about the predicament anymore, “she has some dear friends who will be ready to help her lover,” the cold brown eyes turned to Jesse, “if she even is your lover.” The omnic took hold of Jesse and the shorter man let go, heaving him up onto his feet, “take him now, I will accompany you later.” 

“Of course,” both the omnic and human bowed, the omnic speaking. He raised from his bow, taking a step back as he kept an iron grip on Jesse, “We will eagerly await your return, Master Shimada.” 

Jesse’s heart raced for a moment, eyes staring wide at the man dressed in the charcoal gray and blue. _Shimada_. This was. . . well, at least he didn’t have to go looking anymore: he knew how the leader of the Shimada clan looked like. Too bad he wouldn’t be able to tell the others. 

The omnic shoved Jesse forward, pushing him along as the three left the room, leaving behind their leader to do his work. 

He let slip a smirk, walking over towards the counter. Atop the granite surface was a tablet, a letter waiting to be opened by the woman when she returned. His eyes focused as he pulled out a gun from behind the toaster, one that looked so silly, yet so familiar to the recent news that had been spreading around. That poor fool had better hope he has loose lips, otherwise he’d be enduring an insufferable amount of pain. 

The man lingered for a few moments longer before exiting the room, gently closing the door behind him. 

Angela moved quickly, her pace picking up as she got closer to the hotel. She didn’t care about picking up the car, hardly caring as she pushed through crowds. She had to get to the hotel, she had to rescue Jesse. Gabe was on his way as well, able to travel quickly but perhaps not quick enough. The call from Gabe ordering her back to the hotel left her blood running cold. Losing contact with an agent was one of the worst scenarios possible especially with such a dangerous group as the Shimada Clan being invovled. 

Her steps didn’t slow as she entered the premises of the hotel, ignoring the greetings of the doorman, not even noticing that there was somebody else manning the front desk and not even waiting for the elevator. Shooting up the stairs she bolted down the hallway, fumbling with the key. There was no care for stealth, that would take precious time away. 

The door slammed open, unveiling the completely dark room save for a small blue glow from the counter. Nobody was there. Each breath was shaky, heavy from her long run. Beside the doorway there was nothing, their luggage missing. Her steps only made the frown deepen, going father into the darkness without turning on a light. Nothing out of place except for the tablet. 

With the scan complete of the suite and no sign of anyone around, Angela returned to the kitchen to check out the tablet. 

Flick. The room lit up with light, getting a squeak of surprise from the doctor, whirling around ready to strike. Yet, she lowers her fists as she sees Gabriel standing as the door closes slowly behind him, “Anything?” 

“It’s clear,” Angela frowns, picking up the tablet, “except for this.” Gabriel wordlessly approached from the other side of the counter, staring down at the blue screen. A single file sits on the sea of blue, titled ‘Read me.’ 

Hesitantly, the file is opened. It’s not an audio recording or a video one, just words written in such expertly styled letters. 

_I am honestly insulted by this act if you are whom I suspect. I expected something a little more discrete, but perhaps I am giving you too much credit. If you are who you state to be, then you don’t have to worry about your friend. However, if he speaks the wrong name, I suspect you won’t be able to say your goodbyes quick enough._

_I will give you a chance. In a few days there is a party going on at the Shimada Tower. You will be my guests of honor—all of you. You will find five pendants underneath the pillows on the couch that will grant you access to the celebration. If one of you is missing, well, I won’t be so nice to let you live again._

_Don’t be late, and dress nicely. -Shimada Lord_

Gabriel growled, Angela jumping a bit as she looked up to him with worried eyes 

“Son of a bitch.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight violence warning in this chapter, it's not too graphic but if you don't like torture skip it!

His eyes blinked, feeling energy slowly flow through his body once again. Everything felt drained, as if all energy, all life, had been sucked out of his body. Like he had been strapped to a chair and Moira allowed to go at him for a few hours with that life-giving-life-taking machine of hers. 

His mind could only recall those piercing eyes of the man who intruded in his room. The sheer power he emitted without even trying. Fuck, Jesse still felt like those eyes were stabbing daggers into his very soul even though the man was nowhere near him. 

Leader of the Shimada Clan, going out to do the work usually done by lackies. Well, rumors had it Sojiro was the same way, preferring to do some of the work himself. Jesse knew that from Gabe: sometimes you had to do things yourself if you want somebody competent to do it. Bit insulting when he knew the commander was referring to him and Genji at times—but still didn’t mean it was a good ideal to live by. Must be the same one this guy was taught. 

Still, with his body feeling so drained, something had to of happened on the transfer from the hotel to wherever he was now. A castle was mentioned before he was dragged out—maybe this was the Shimada Castle. 

Another thing to strike off the list of knowing what it was and unable to tell the others since he was in a shitty situation. There wasn’t even time to get set up fully: the cameras were in the possession of the psycho leading their enemies, he was without communication with Gabe and the rest, and he was sitting in a cold, dank room with no clear way out except for the single door that was more than likely guarded. Well, if things looked grim back in Venice, this was a one-way trip down to Death’s door with nothing to offer but his own damned soul. 

A sudden noise beside him got Jesse to nearly jump out of his skin, his attention quickly shooting up to observe the source. In the dim light he could recognize the receptionist form back at the hotel. What was she doing here? 

“Hey,” Jesse started out softly, calling to get her attention as she was waking up from her daze, “hey wake up.” Her brown eyes went wide, turning to look at the man next to her, “Are you alright?” 

“N-no,” her voice shook along with her body, shivering as if she was thrown into the deep snow without the proper clothing. Horror glimmered in her eyes, regret laced in as well. One small mistake and she was doomed, “We’re far from okay!” The panic started to rise in her voice, struggling against the bindings around her legs and arms. 

“Woah,” Jesse would have held out his arm to calm her, like trying to calm a shook horse, “Calm down, panicking in this kind of situation isn’t gonna to do you any good—it’ll just make things worse.” He waited, happy to see that she listened as her body relaxed a bit. 

“What’s your name?” He offered her a friendly smile, hoping that distracting her from the current situation would help calm her nerves, and his own. 

“Chizue,” She replies softly, her eyes turning to Jesse, “My name is Chizue.” 

She hardly looked to be in her mid-twenties, maybe in the early side of that range. She didn’t deserve to be so scared, to have her life end at such an early age. Made him think back to what Gabe had told him the first time they had been face to face in that interrogation room. _You’ve got a long life ahead of you—keep down this path and you won’t even see it to the new year._

Maybe, he could give her a chance like he had gotten, “A pleasure to meet you, Chizue, I’m Jesse.” He nodded his head, “Tell me, do you work for the Shimada Clan?” Her slow, reluctant nod made his heart sink. Was he like this when he was taken in? He was scared but expressed it in a different way. Chizue closed herself off, shook like a leaf in a wind storm, Jesse showed aggression, trying to be tough to hide the fact he was fucking terrified. It was something he had learned from childhood: you show you’re scared and people will take advantage of that. 

“Listen, I work with some people that could help you get out of this place,” Jesse couldn’t help but chuckle—how the tides could turn, “We can help you.” 

“There’s no leaving,” Chizue quickly replied, the panic rising up again, “Once you are in, there is no way out! My father tried!” Her voice rose, tears starting to well up, “he tried to get my sister and I out, smuggled the both of us. He failed, and failure isn’t tolerated!” Her gaze fell, staring at her hands bound to the chair. 

“They killed your father, didn’t they?” Jesse’s heart sank. He knew how these kinds of groups worked—just like the Deadlock Gang: you try to escape, you’d lose your life and whoever you tried to get free would end up in an even worse place. The feeling only got worse when she nodded, “my father was executed right in front of my sister and I. We were separated: I was taken to be trained to work the hotel and my sister. . . I don’t know what happened to her.” 

“’m sorry to hear that,” Jesse gave his condolences, lowering his head in a moment of silence. If she was in the same boat as him, it meant she had done something wrong, “I’m guessin’ you did something to piss off your superiors if you’re here with me.” 

Chizue nodded slowly, “I was talking with somebody who I was in contact with about my sister. We were working on figuring out how to find her. . . I,” she let out a tiny sob, shaking her head to compose herself, “I was distracted when you came by, which meant I disobeyed the order directly from the oyabun.” 

“Oyabun,” he repeated the word, “That’s the clan leader, right?” She nodded, “Is he the child of Sojiro Shimada, or is he something else?” She glanced at him, her look showing her confusion—she couldn’t believe this man had no idea who the leader was. 

“He is the heir of the Shimada Clan,” Chizue spoke in a way like the words were drilled into her head, a script to speak off of when talking of the leader, “He is Shimada Hanzo.” 

Shit. So Genji’s brother was the sick bastard running the Clan now? That would settle well with the already unstable cyborg. No matter how bad the news was, it would be worse if he couldn’t get out of the place. Brown eyes focused on Chizue, “Listen,” her eyes glanced to him, “I know you’ve had it pounded into your head that there’s no way out of a shithole like this, but there is.” 

His voice rose a bit with hope, “I was once part of the Deadlock Gang back in the states, probably even more shitty than this place—but I was given a chance. My commander brought me out of that hell hole, and I’ll be damned if I don’t carry on that mantel and help you,” Jesse struggled with the bindings holding his hands down, “I’ll get you out of here if it’s the last thing I do.” 

“You. . .” She stared at him in disbelief, “You would really do that for somebody you just met?” Her eyes lingered on him, “If I leave my sister will get into more trouble—she may even be killed.” 

“Then we’ll just have to rescue her too,” it was a hefty promise to make. Where would he even start with it? He had barely any knowledge of the Clan and who was in it, and he would have to move quickly to make sure the word didn’t travel of Chizue’s escape that her sister would pay the price before he could save her. 

Reyes could help, and maybe Genji would be willing to share what he knew as well. Angela and Lena would be more than willing to help, bless their hearts. It was just a matter of getting out and back to the group quick enough. 

“It’ll be tight, but I know my family can pull it off,” _family_ , he hadn’t really referred to Blackwatch as family, but it was. More of a family than what he had in the past even if there were moments of being dysfunctional—every family had their moments. 

“I promise you,” Jesse added, his fingers quickly working to slip the bindings. Idiots didn’t think they would be going against a master escape artist, “We’ll be able to save your sister and give you guys protection and a new life.” His fingers slipped out of one binding, moving to help with the other. 

Once both hands were free he stood up, quickly undoing her bindings. Hers were much easier to work with, having both hands to work with rather than just one. He shifted back a pace, offering out a hand for her to take, “Honestly, at this point, what do you have to lose?” 

Chizue focused on his face, eyes slightly squinted in thought. There wasn’t much else she could lose: she was stuck in the bowels of the Shimada Castle waiting for her own painful demise for failure. At least this way she could either go out trying to escape or start a new and better life. 

“Alright,” her word was a soft whisper, taking hold of his larger hand gingerly, “I trust you.” Time wasn’t on their side, Jesse quickly pulling her up off the chair and taking her with him as he approached the door. They had to move if they wanted a chance to get out. It wouldn’t be long before they would be greeted by their torturer. 

Pressing his ear against the door, Jesse listened for anyone on the other side. Only silence met his sense, not easing the anxiety that slowly lumped up in his throat. There could still be people on the other side, laying in wait for either an escape attempt or for the right one to approach to begin the pain to the traitor and outsider. 

It was a chance he would have to take. Jesse glanced to Chizue, a small frown forming, “Do you by any chance have any combat training?” 

“I know a bit of hand to hand combat, yes,” she inched closer to the door, listening to the outside herself, “If there is two I can take the one out on the right.” The gunslinger next to her couldn’t help but grin a bit—she was a fighter when she wasn’t riddled with fear. 

“Right,” he rolled his neck before resting his hand on the doorhandle. He tightened his grip on the handle, turning it slowly and enough to that he could just shove the door open. If there was somebody on the right side of the door they would be slammed behind it. The left side would still be open and the door would have be closed quickly and quietly to take out the other if they were there. 

His hand raised into the air, holding out three fingers. A silent exchange to rush out when he reached zero. Chizue nodded and he began the silent countdown. Three. Two. 

One. As his final finger fell, Jesse forced open the door with all his power, hearing it hit a body followed by somebody hitting the ground. His hand left the handle, turning and punching the man standing to the left of the door before he could even respond. A hard enough hit, the guy’s lights were instantly knocked out. Chizue moved the door back enough for her to land a heavy kick to the omnic on the ground, effectively knocking him unconscious. 

“Nice,” Jesse grinned to her before looking around, “Now how in the sam hill are we going to get out of here?” He brushed his hand over his hair, glancing down the other direction before looking to Chizue, “you know your way around here Chi?” 

“If I can find my bearings, hopefully,” Well, hopefully was better than nothing. Jesse grabbed under one of the unconscious men’s arms, dragging him back into the room. Catching the hint, Chizue did the same with her victim, leaving both inside and closing the door. 

The area was dimly lit, only the bear minimum lighting glowing from the ceiling to be able to maneuver around. To the left of them the hallway stopped, a few more doors on either side of the walls until it came to the end. On the right was a longer hallway, no end in sight from the darkness looming around. Right was the way to go. 

Waving to her to follow, Jesse moved quickly and silently down the hallway, keeping to the sides just in case there were others coming down the hallway or lingering by the doors. Nobody seemed to be around, just those two men guarding their door. Maybe they were the only ones down here, no other prisoners kept—either for a less morbid reason or for a rather morbid reason. Either way, Jesse didn’t want to stick around to find out. 

At the end of the hallway after passing what felt like hundreds of doors most likely leading into rooms like the one he woke up in, the end came into sight. A different colored door stood before them, a small window adorned towards the top of it. Through the dark glass he could see stairs—a way up! A finger was held up to his lips, warning Chizue before opening the door slowly. 

The stairwell was better lit than the hallway, rays of artificial light slipping into the darkness beyond the threshold, quickly being consumed by it. Each step would bring them closer to freedom, but closer to a maze of enemies and the looming possibility of failure. 

“Chi,” Jesse turned to her as both entered the stairwell, “I want you to know that if we get separated to go to the safehouse and wait for each other there,” the approach to the stairs was slow. Even as he ascended each step, he took it slow and quiet, his voice a whisper as she was close behind, “the safehouse is just a few miles out from the outskirts of Hanamura. If you get there before me, find the guy wearing a beanie or a woman with brown hair and a British accent. If you meet either one of them tell them that the sun is high at noon.” 

“The sun is high at noon?” She repeated the phrase with a perplexed expression. Few moments passed before she nodded understandingly: a code phrase, “I hope it won’t end up with us getting separated, but I will keep that in mind if it does happen.” Her form shook a bit, her nerves jumping out of her skin. Each step brought them closer to the chaos that could possibly unfold before them. If they were caught, Lord Shimada would have her head—or even worse. 

Jesse’s foot met with the final step, landing on the solid surface—finally out of one hell and ready to go into another. This door was open, revealing the interior of the main floor to the Shimada Castle. Chi stepped ahead, poking her head out to glance. Left, right and then left again. This was familiar, the east side of the castle. An exit would not be too far away, just down the left side. 

“We’re in luck,” she kept her voice down despite the excitement, “We go to our left, past the shrine and we will be able to get out the front doors.” 

Jesse stared at her in disbelief, “Really? Right out the front doors? Are ya kiddin’?” 

“Of course I am,” Chi rolled her eyes, “We’re going to have to climb down the wall, but it will lead us to a safe enough place to get out. The hardest part is going to be getting through the shrine. A couple guards will be walking the grounds outside and they will come to check on the shrine occasionally.” She crept forward, stepping out from the stairwell—Jesse not too far behind, “We just have to time it right and get across the room to the exterior.” 

“Sounds easy enough,” a hint of sarcasm rang in his voice, following Chi along as they slipped through yet another hallway, this one luckily illuminated by bits of moonlight filtering through the windows and small lamps hung from the ceiling. 

“It’s much easier than trying to go the other way,” she glanced back with a slight smirk, “Going to the right side would lead us right past the Lord’s room.” A giggle came from her as she noticed the grimace fall over Jesse’s face. 

“I’d rather this way, thanks,” He gulped, halting his step as they reached the turn in their path. As she said, the next path brought them right to the large open shrine, a guard sauntering his way out. 

“Nice,” Jesse whistled quietly, “Got some mighty fine timin’ going on.” He stepped out from being hunched in the shadows, walking towards the open area. His eyes studied the room, from the floor and the large lanterns situated before the bridge leading outside, all the way to the large mural of two dragons painted above a large scroll and a stand holding swords. 

“Huh,” his curiosity got the best of him, noticing a gash in the corner of the banner, as well as something that suspiciously looked like blood. Tracing the angle of the gash. . . it moved the same way where Genji had his cybernetics—at least if he was facing towards the banner rather than away from it. 

“We shouldn’t linger here too long,” Chi kept her voice soft as she walked past Jesse, “this place holds a lot of memories. Let’s keep moving.” She took a few more steps, heading towards the open area. 

Then her movement stopped, feeling a chill come to the room. Shit. She slowly turned her eyes towards the bridge, seeing a figure standing there. No, no no! That fear rose up again, her muscles tensing up. Timing was not as good as Jesse thought. 

For a stunned moment all three people stood still, two sets of wide eyes meeting slightly widened ones. Then, the one pair narrowed, a growl slipping out from his curled lips. 

“Run!” Jesse shouted to Chi, not waiting to see what she did before charging straight at the man, “Remember to meet there!” 

“Jesse!” Chi called out, taking a moment to remember to think rationally. If she went to save him, they could both be killed instantly. He knew how to handle himself, she had to get out. Her form turned, quickly running out into the open are before hopping off the edge of the balcony. 

Jesse charged, moving quickly to the left to fake out the other. A hand pulled back as he came close, punching the other square in the jaw. A short-lived victory before he found himself flipped onto the ground, his head slamming hard against the surface. His vision danced, feeling pain radiate as his wrist was twisted back painfully. Damn, taken down so easily—Reyes would be embarrassed and pissed. 

“Well. . .” The man stared down at him, piercing brown eyes narrowed in anger, “Didn’t want to sit and be patient like a good boy?” He pulled back Jesse’s wrist, getting a cry of pain to slip from him. 

“And,” he leaned down, placing a foot onto the chest below him, “you even released the disappointment. Sad,” he tisked before applying pressure. 

Jesse sneered through the pain, glaring daggers at the man, “I’d recon you’re the disappointment in this situation,” to add a bit of bite, he added in the name, “Hanzo.” 

A bitter chuckle was his response, before getting a kick to the face. Jesse quickly used the pressure off his chest to move, rolling to the side before jumping to his feet. He grinned, beckoning Hanzo to come at him, “Come on, pardner, I ain’t got nothin’ ta lose.” 

Hanzo smirked, pulling up the sleeve on his left arm and clipping it just above his elbow, “You have a lot to lose, Jesse McCree,” the way his name rolled off the scion’s lips almost brought a shiver down his spine—maybe not in the way he had wanted it to, especially since the guy knew his name. 

“So, ya know who I am,” Jesse hummed, trying to not let on that it had spiked his nerves, “Ya want me ta give you some congratulations for figuring it out? ‘Cause that’s not gonna happen, sorry pumpkin.” The scowl that formed on the scion’s face only got Jesse to feel giddy. How his lips curled up exposing some of his teeth, how bitterly his eyes narrowed further to thin slits. Endearing. 

For fuck’s sake focus, Jesse cursed himself, able to bring himself back into reality as the man lunged at him with wicked speed. In a swift movement Jesse backed up, barely missing the fist aimed for his chest but not quick enough to avoid being swept. A quick roll to the side and he landed a kick into Hanzo’s leg, not waiting before jumping to his feet and bringing his knee into the man’s chest. 

Just enough for him to get distance and get the hell out of there. No time was wasted to see if the man keeled over from the blow, just Jesse running the direction he saw Chi run. He’d have one hell of a time jumping off the edge in hopes to land safely, but it was better than spending time with Mr. Nasty and Grumpy. He came to the edge, feeling the fresh air hit his face—and then pain. 

Searing pain rose up through his leg, his body collapsing to the ground. What the hell?! The pain continued, throbbing up every nerve in his left leg from near his ankle. This pain was familiar. A gun shot. 

Jesse shifted, trying to crawl forward, anything to get away from that insane man. Steps closed in on him, hearing a gun cock, “Stop moving,” Hanzo ordered, “otherwise I’ll put another bullet in your body, this time into something more painful.” 

Instead of moving forward, Jesse turned around, wincing as the pain shot up through his leg once again. Eyes met with a familiar barrel: Peacekeeper. The fucker just shot him with his own gun! 

“Hey!” Despite all logic he snapped angrily at the other, “What do you think you’re doin’ with my gun?” 

“Oh?” The grin spread on Hanzo’s face, brining the gun to his side to look at it, “This poorly crafted excuse for a weapon is yours?” His scrutinizing eyes turned back to Jesse. He looked him up and down, Jesse feeling like he was either being undressed or he was a sacrifice being debated on whether to be consumed. Neither settled well in his gut. 

“What a match,” Hanzo chuckled, stepping closer to Jesse, “Such a mess on the outside, but a possibility for potential.” Well, that almost sounded worse than the whole sacrificial meal thing. 

“Sorry sugar,” the charm still continued despite being called a mess by the suited man, “but the only potential I have is in kicking your ass.” He leaned forward, not caring anymore about the pain—he just wanted to be a pain in this guy’s neck, “Unless that’s what you mean, then by all means please let me show you what I got.” To add an emphasis Jesse winked at Hanzo. 

Was. . . Jesse held back showing any physical reaction to what seemed like a hint of a blush rising to the scion’s face. Did he. . . like that? Well, the gunslinger internally shrugged, might as well use this to his advantage. 

“Although,” he kept on with the charm, giving a seductive smile, “there’s something else I can have potential with,” ignoring the pain, he brought himself onto his feet, wincing only a moment. He hobbled forward a few paces, having to hold back a laugh as Hanzo took a step back, “I’ve always been told that I can do wonders with my mouth instead of runnin’ it off.” 

Oh yeah, that really got that small blush to become something strong. Keep at it, “could even say I’m pretty good in bed, make ya wish you could have more.” Another step forward, and the blush grew as well, “So tell me, oh Lord of the Shimada Clan,” one final step brought him nearly face to face with Hanzo, chocolate brown eyes staring down into the dark brown ones. Jesse’s next words were whispered softly, so sensually he even surprised himself, “what are you going to do with me?” He made no move to take Peacekeeper, knowing that with the reflexes of Genji, Hanzo would easily be able to counter and it would ruin the slight edge he had over the other man. 

“I,” this was the first time Jesse had ever heard a stutter in the stoic man’s voice, a moment of breaking through the hard shell. His expression steeled, saying nothing as he threw Peacekeeper across the room. Not a word spoken as he grabbed onto Jesse’s jawline—and not a single sound as he smashed his lips into Jesse’s. 

Well, that was honestly not what was expected to happen. The sheer force of the kiss almost knocked Jesse over, his eyes going wide in shock. He felt like melting, feeling the heat coming off Hanzo. What was expected of his words was to get the scion flustered enough to give him time to escape, not this—not that he was complaining. The feeling of the other’s lips against his was amazing. His body pulsed with energy, not thinking as he raised his hands to rest on Hanzo’s jawline. 

Jesse pushed forward a bit, instantly feeling feedback as Hanzo pushed back. Their lips parted, dark brown eyes trained on him. Silence lingered for a few moments save for their breaths catching up on the halt in oxygen. A soft, thoughtful hum came from Hanzo, his gaze falling back to Jesse’s lips. 

Taking that as a cue, Jesse initiated the kiss this time, pressing forward with a rough kiss to match the force Hanzo had used. He could feel how closed off Hanzo was, his teeth clamped tight to disallow access, his posture ridged. 

Jesse couldn’t have that. He pressed forward, his body moving closer to the other, soaking up the heat, pressing his chest against the firm one of the scion. He wanted to see how far he could push before Hanzo would push back. It didn’t take long. 

A slight pain rose in his shoulders, Hanzo’s grip tightening as he forcefully took control, slipping past Jesse’s lips to run his tongue over teeth, to wander over every single one before slipping further. 

Every ounce of will was put into not groaning loudly—he had to keep his cool for the moment to bolt. Yet. . . part of him wanted to stay, to continue feeling the warmth of Hanzo against his body, maybe even without the barrier of clothing to separate their bodies. 

Jesse’s mind got lost in thought, producing the image of Hanzo’s body without the cover of his suit, seeing the formed muscles on his arms tense as he held onto Jesse’s hips, his form looming over him with each thrust. To see that face turn from staring him down to one of ecstasy and contempt for the aftermath. He saw the scion’s thumb run over his cheek, a tender moment after the roughness and intermixing of passion. Lord, his body ached for the touch to be real. 

Coldness fell on his lips, getting Jesse to quickly open his eyes. He was met with those same ones staring at him—void of such passion, replaced with a darkness. Jesse opened his mouth to speak, before he was knocked out cold by a heavy blow to his skull. 

Hanzo wiped away the taste of Jesse’s lips on his own, grimacing as he focused on the man out cold on the ground. A hate boiled up in his system, irritated with the man as well as himself. He let the scum get under his skin, slip his way into his mind and into the void growing inside his heart. Idiot, this fool was to be drained of his information and then slaughtered. 

He growled softly, turning as one of the guards walked into the shrine, “Take this idiot back to his room. Find those two who were guarding the cell and get rid of them.” The guard bowed her head before quickly running over and picking up the unconscious gunslinger. A soft groan escaped the scion, watching the guard take the man away. He would really make the fool pay for his transgressions. He not only made a fool out of the Shimada Lord, but also let free another who was meant for death. She would have to be caught and brought back. If she was to return to Jesse’s group, it could spell bad news. 

Hanzo called for another guard, walking towards the open air past the bridge, “Send out some of the assassins, Chizue has left. Kill her, and anyone she meets.” 

______ 

His head pounded from the blow, throbbing in and out as the light grew into focus. The depths of the Shimada Castle were his home once again, back in that dimly lit room awaiting his torture—worse than what he would have gotten before for his escape attempt most likely. As his attention returned, chocolate brown eyes caught a glimpse of bright blue, making his heart simultaneously jump and drop. 

Hanzo stood in front of him, arms poised behind his back, his lips formed into that familiar deep scowl of his. So much for that connection they had just a bit ago. What made it change so fast? One moment there was passion, a link between them so strong it nearly knocked Jesse off his feet—the next he was knocked out on the ground. Well, he could always try again, he didn’t want it to pass, not with the potential they could do. 

“Well, howdy pumpkin,” Jesse attempted a smile through the pain pounding in his head as well as the ebbing pain in his leg from the gunshot. Before he had a chance to do anything else with the smile, his face was struck, hard. 

“Shut up,” Hanzo hissed bitterly, retracting his hand before leaning close to the bound man, “Don’t try to use that charm of yours again, it will only make this more painful than what is going to already happen.” 

The scion turned his back, taking a few steps away, “I usually don’t partake in such things as the initial torture,” his fingers ran over various tools of inflicting pain: knives of varying sizes, a mallet of some sort and other sharp tools that made Jesse’s blood turn a bit cold. 

“However, after that little stunt you pulled,” he decided on his favorite knife, running a gloved finger over the blue iridescent blade, “I’ve decided to forgo the formalities and give you a taste of what happens when you cross the Shimada Clan—when you cross **me**.” 

The knife was held in his hand as his attention settled on something positioned directly in front of Jesse. A soft click echoed, and a small red light lit up, giving the bound man an idea that there was a camera pointed at him. Great, a show. 

Hanzo whipped back around to Jesse, grinning slightly, “Smile, cowboy, you’re on camera. This is a gift for your commander and friends. Don’t worry though,” his gaze tore from Jesse to the camera, “you’ll be in one piece for when they arrive.” 

“What do you mean?” Jesse grunted, attempting to lung forward but stopped dead in his tracks as his hand and feet were strapped down, “Don’t you dare drag them inta this!” 

“Sorry, McCree,” the assassin gave a faux frown, “but they brought themselves into this the moment all of you thought you could trick me.” The blade was held up close to Jesse’s throat, the cold metal greedily taking away warmth from his skin. 

“You and your friends couldn’t have come at a worse time,” Hanzo sneered before running the edge of the blade along Jesse’s jawline, leaving a thin trail of blood to seep from the open wound. The knife was pulled away from his face only to be lodged deep into the gunslinger’s shoulder. 

The scion was displeased, to say the least, those eyes narrowed in bitter hate towards Jesse. His own brown eyes watched the others as they locked gazes. Something was empty, off about the way the darker eyes stared back: Hanzo was holding something back, trying to hide it away. 

Jesse gritted his teeth as the blade was removed and then stabbed into the back of his hand. His torturer moved, resting his hand on top of the bound one. No, not his good hand. Hanzo hummed, trailing his touch down to the first finger chosen: his smallest digit. The touch was gentle at first, the gloved fingers running tenderly along the sides of his finger—and then it was painfully pulled back. 

It took all his willpower to stop the scream from escaping his throat as he felt the bone snap at the force and how quick it was applied. Pain pulsed through his hand, readying himself for another wave of it as Hanzo moved to the next finger. Quickly as the last his ring finger was bent backwards painfully, the bone snapping beneath the flesh. 

“F-fuck. . .” Jesse hissed, tightly shutting his eyes as another finger was broken. This wouldn’t last too much longer, it wouldn’t be as fun, as interesting to do the same thing ten times. He had an idea how people like Hanzo worked, they wanted the most out of their torture victim. They wanted to inflict as much pain as possible without getting dull. He was in for a long, painful journey. 

______ 

“Great,” Gabe hissed, throwing his hands up into the air with frustration. Angela sat next to Lena, her eyes focused on the ground. She was angry with herself, foolish to let Jesse go in alone. It was her fault he was captured now, “We have no way to get to Jesse because their stupid castle is so well guarded, and if we try anything the kid’s going to end up dead!” 

Genji averted his gaze, staring down at the ground, listening as his commander continued, “The fucking idiot didn’t even remember to set up all the cameras and even put them into a place that fucker could have found.” He was infuriated, not quite solely at Jesse. No, Gabriel was more pissed off at himself for allowing such a thing to happen. 

Venice was already a strike against his team, a strike against him—having this happen would just make things even worse, “Fuck!” His voice raised in an instance, parts of his body starting to break off into the shadowy pieces, getting Moira to quickly jump to her feet and move over to check over her commander. 

“Careful of the temper, Commander,” Moira tutted, a hand placed on his shoulder to keep him still as she looked him over, “Your condition is not quite stable yet and I would rather you not fade away in the middle of a mission,” she grimaced to herself, “As much as McCree annoys and disgusts me, he’s a vital part of the team.” 

Her hand was removed, and a step taken back, “we need to retrieve him as quickly as possible, perhaps even before this meeting the man has set up.” Moira glanced at Angela before waving her hand, “If our data is correct on the Shimada Clan, such a gathering means something important is going down. They commonly use big parties to hide the more secretive deals.” 

“And,” Angela butted in, getting a sneer to rise on the taller scientist, “They expect five of us to show up.” Her fingers pushed against one another before she clasped them into fists, “Whoever he is knows there is five of us present. He may not know exactly who we are, but there’s a big problem with all of us going.” 

She flicked her eyes towards Genji, then back to Gabriel, “They will recognize him quickly if he’s put out into the open, if not immediately—and I’m not sure if it would be wise to bring another into this in case they know how each one of us looks.” 

“We’re stuck either way,” Moira growled, taking her place back into the conversation, getting a glare from the doctor, “It may be best to put Shimada into the part and try to disguise him well enough. If he keeps his trap shut,” she shot a glare which was returned with a dark look from the cyborg, “and we hide enough of the parts that could give him away, he should be able to slip passed unnoticed. 

Gabriel shook his head, calmed down a fraction from his early outburst. It was risky bringing them all into something that felt so heavily like a trap. They could all end up in the same boat Jesse was. 

______ 

A scream escaped Jesse this time, eyes shut and his eyebrows scrunching up as the pain radiated throughout his body. Fuck this guy knew how to dish out the pain. One weak quip about his creativity with torture and he found his face being hit hard enough with the gloved fist that the chair tipped over with him in it. And to make things hurt more, the grip on his balls as they were twisted just added to the fun. Not exactly they way he wanted them to be touched. Along with the other cuts that were scattered among his body and the many stab wounds, this was turning out to be a fun evening. 

“That’s better,” Hanzo coldly chuckled, letting go only to deliver a hard kick to his prisoner’s chest—powerful enough that the wooden chair splintered behind a fraction. He roughly grabbed the back of the chair, pulling it and Jesse back to sitting up. The gleaming blade of the knife was brought back into the light, ripping through the cloth covering up the right shoulder. 

______ 

The ring echoed out, interrupting their conversation, getting Lena to jump a bit and Gabe to groan. It was a call from the Swiss base, meaning somebody was looking for a status update. Boy, they would just love to hear what was going on. 

Gabe pressed the button and the small light lit up, connecting them back to the base, “What is it?” Attempting to keep calm wasn’t exactly his strongest suit when beyond pissed, “We’re a little busy on a mission right now.” 

Hearing the voice come out of the communicator left Gabe looking a bit pale, “You were told to give us an update a few hours after you landed Gabriel.” Ana. She sounded a bit grim herself, “It’s been much longer than that, so I need that update now.” 

The commander growled, fingers balling into fists. Great, he was going to have to deal with a lecture on top of everything else, “Well things have gone to shit, alright? Jesse’s been taken by the Shimada Clan.” 

“What?!” 

______ 

“I wonder,” Hanzo hummed, pressing the flat edge of the blade against Jesse’s chin, forcing his head up so those gradually tired growing eyes would stare at him, “why is your little group even here? After your failure in Venice I’m surprised your little leader gave you such leeway on your leash.” 

He cruelly grinned, seeing a spark of anger rise in those brown eyes, “You must be desperate to prove to your blondey that you aren’t a useless bunch of murderers.” Jesse growled, with a last rush of energy pushed forward, biting down on the exposed skin on Hanzo’s arm. 

______ 

“You’re saying Jesse is in the hands of the enemy right now and you’re not rescuing him?” Ana snapped at Gabe, her voice showing more emotion than what her facial expression could add, “How did you let him get captured?!” 

“He was caught by surprise,” Gabe matched the level of anger to the Captain, glaring daggers at the device, “we go charging into the Castle now he’s going to be dead before we can even get close enough to him and we’ll be next on the chopping block!” 

“You were supposed to protect him, Gabriel!” Ana’s voice rose, her motherly instincts kicking in a bit, “He is part of your team and he was captured on the first day! How could you be so reckless?” 

Angela and Lena cringed, Lena herself backing up a bit from wanting to comfort Gabriel until he bristled, that smoke seeping off his body and something almost inhuman glinting in his eyes turning her away from trying to calm him. 

“Don’t you fucking dare lecture me about keeping my team safe!” his voice boomed, almost rattling the small home they nestled in, “Don’t you start talking to me like I don’t give a shit about my team’s lives or accuse me of trying to abandon them!” He slammed a hand down onto the table, Moira once again getting to her feet to try to calm him. 

“Unlike you I’m not a coward with my emotions! I will not back down until they beat me senseless and dead on the floor!” 

______ 

The words came out in Japanese, a swift punch delivered to Jesse’s nose, enough for him to let go of his bite. Hanzo hissed, wrapping his hands around the exposed neck, squeezing hard. He was pissed. 

Jesse struggled against the grip, wishing he had his hands to try to pry away the hands on his neck—though with how powerfully build Hanzo was, he wouldn’t have much of a fighting chance to remove them. His vision started to fade, stars appearing in the corner of his eyes the more air he was deprived of. 

Right before he could pass out, the grip was gone, leaving him to gasp for air and cough. He glared up, seeing that hauntingly calm stare at him. How quick Hanzo was able to recover from losing his calm back to that same state from before was terrifying. Jesse would commend him if he wasn’t such an asshole. 

“You’re trained well,” the scion smirked, turning his back before flicking the off switch on the camera, “I’m starting to see I’m going to have to change my methods if I want to break you.” Whipping back around Hanzo was upon him in seconds, holding Jesse just under the chin in the vice grip of his. 

“I will break you Jesse McCree,” his lips curled into that cruel grin once again. His free hand ran across the line of Jesse’s jaw, “I will break you down and then build you up again. I have three days to remake you before your friends come to rescue you. Plenty of time to make sure you know who is on top." 

______ 

“Don’t bring that up!” Ana hissed, “We are not talking about us, we are talking about your team!” 

“Oh,” Gabe retorted with the same bite, “Could have fooled me with how you were blaming me for Jesse getting captured just how you blamed me for our relationship breaking down!” 

“Commander!” Moira snapped, trying to get his attention, “Your condition is worsening!” 

“Shut it!” Gabe snarled at her, his body flinching as he stopped himself from striking out at her. He was angry, yes, but he would never strike one of his own. With only those two words he focused back to the agreement, “I am doing what I think is best for my team and charging in head first to save Jesse will only end in more trouble. I will be going to that Shimada Lord’s stupid little fucking gathering, and I will beat his goddamned face in until he gives Jesse back, and then I’m going to blast his ugly mug off with my shotguns and point-blank range! Because a rich fuck or not, some powerful leader of a Japanese mafia or not, nobody messes with my team and gets away with it!” 

Gabriel doesn’t wait for a response before turning the channel off—throwing the device across the room and watching it smash into the wall way of turning it off. His body is pulsing with anger, more bits breaking off into the shadows, slipping away from his form. 

Moira carefully approached him, palms facing him to show she meant no harm, “Commander,” she waited until he focused on her, “You need to reduce your levels, your body is starting to react to it and the decay is occurring. Your anger is validated, but it will cause your state to become worse. We need you in peak performance if we want to finish this job.” 

______ 

Jesse winced, his chest hurting from the kick—a few ribs were probably broken, “You really think you’ll be able to break me?” A sliver of a smirk rose to his face, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, “Ya can keep trying sugar, ya won’t be able to.” 

This got a bubbling laughter to rise from the scion, his head shaking, “Oh,” the movement slowed, the hand on his chin shifting to cup around his cheek, leather pressing against an open wound, “Everyone has their breaking point McCree, it’s only a matter of finding what will do it. And,” he leaned in closer, his voice lowering to a whisper. 

“You’ve already given me a way to break you, my dear gunslinger.” 

______ 

“I’ll be fine when we get Jesse out of that shithole,” Gabriel leaned over the counter, his breath labored from the pain that prickled at the edge of every nerve. It was his fault Jesse was captured, he didn’t hound the kid for getting everything set up before heading out. He didn’t make sure that they stayed in pairs. Fuck, it was his fault Jesse could end up dead! 

His eyes shut, holding them closed as he steadied his mind. Now was not the time to beat himself up for this. Jesse had limited time. 

Three days. He had three days before that gathering for whatever the Shimada Clan was planning. Three days he had to plan, get Jesse out of there and end the Clan for thinking they could even dare believe they could mess with Blackwatch. 

“We need to make a plan,” Lena piped in, hoping that focusing on developing a strategy would distract Gabriel enough that it would reduce the effects of whatever Moira did to him, “We know he’s being held captive in the Shimada Castle, right?” She watched as both Gabriel and Angela nod, “And we have three days before their little party is going on.” Another pair of nodding. 

“So,” Lena clasped her hands together with a determined glimmer in her eyes, “We just need to devise a plan on how to get inside that Shimada Tower, play it cool during the event and have one of us sneak around and work on rescuing Jesse.” 

“If only it was that easy,” Moira snorted, “From what Genji has said their security is tight—and that’s putting it in kinder words.” She stepped back up next to Gabriel, “We’re going to need a specific person to go after Jesse that wouldn’t be noticed. And,” she picked up the tablet that was retrieved from the hotel room, “with this Shimada Lord expecting all five of us to be there, we’re going to need a sixth person to be in the background.” The other agents back at base would make things a bit harder if they were called in to be that sixth person. 

Reinhardt would be too easy to recognize even without his armor due to his colossal size. Torb would stick out like a sore thumb. Jack was too well known to not go unnoticed within the event—he was the face of Overwatch after all, if somebody didn’t know how he looked they lived under rock fifty feet in the ground. Ana was in a similar boat, she was well known too—not to the same level as Jack but she was there. That didn’t leave too many other options. 

“Everyone else is too well known,” Gabe grumbled, “If they didn’t know about all of us we could have had Genji do that role,” the cyborg huffed—he would much rather do things behind the shadows rather than be out in the open and exposed. This was his old life, a life he would rather never look back on or destroy it completely if he had a chance. Yet, like the rest he was stuck in a corner having to go to places that would quickly bring up those horrible memories. 

“Then we need somebody who isn’t,” Lena encouraged, “What about some of the other Blackwatch operatives?” 

The commander shook his head, “They wouldn’t be able to get here in time or not be noticed as they came in, even this far from the Clan's base. We took the only craft that was quiet and cloaked enough that we wouldn’t be detected. The other ships won’t get here quick enough to catch them up on the plan and get to the event to rescue Jesse.” 

“And there’s nobody else here but us,” Angela’s voice reflected the hint of despair rising in her body. This was more dangerous than trying to deal with the omnic uprising in King’s Row, which left a clump of anxiety in her gut. They didn’t have Reinhardt to be their shield and even with Gabriel’s leadership, they were already shaken from what happened with Venice. Tension was high and anything else going wrong would just make it thick enough to cut with a knife. 

A loud bag outside got all five people to jump up, Gabriel and Genji reaching for their weapons. The commander, put his fingers to his lips, making sure everyone stood still and quiet, slowly moving towards the direction of the sound. He grabbed one of his shotguns on the way there, fingers tightly curling around it like it was his lifeline. 

The door was thrown open, a woman standing looking disheveled and terrified. Her breath was heavy as if she had been running for a while, strands of her long black hair dangling over her face. She looked like shit. 

“Woah!” She automatically threw up her hands to show she was unarmed, “Don’t shoot!” Gabriel’s eyes narrowed, causing her to flinch a bit. She seemed to be thinking about something before meeting his gaze, “The sun is high at noon.” 

The words made everyone freeze for a moment, Gabriel’s eyes growing wide, “How. . .” 

She took another moment to catch her breath, resting a hand against the doorway, “Jesse,” she gasped for air, “Jesse told me it before we got separated.” 

“You talked with him?” Angela jumped to her feet, going over to start checking the woman over for any wounds. A few visible cuts and scraps were on her arms and cheeks, “Is he alright?” The wounds were most likely from her run from the Castle, mostly bushes and rocks from the way the cuts were shaped. 

“I don’t know,” her voice dropped, eyes trailing to the ground, “We got separated from each other when he got me out—he confronted the oyabun.” She gave a sorrowful frown, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t stay and help him, he told me to leave! I-I could have—” 

Her words were cut off by a hand raised from Gabriel. He waved Angela to go get the medical supplies to patch her up. The commander shifted to the side to let the doctor pass by, stepping closer to the new woman, “What’s your name, kid?” 

“Chizue,” she sheepishly replied, trying to stand as tall as she could, a training she was given working for the Shimada Clan. 

Gabriel nodded slowly, looking her over, “You’re part of the Clan aren’t you?” Judging by the torn-up suit she was wearing she had to at least be some part of the clan. She nodded, and he hummed, “And you tried to escape with Jesse?” 

“I was set up to be killed—because I made a mistake.” Angela gasped a bit as she came back over, slipping past Gabriel. That’s why this woman seemed familiar. 

“You were the one at the front desk,” Angela spoke, a few medical items in her hands, “I thought you were familiar,” she waved the woman to come inside, Gabriel closing the door behind them and following them back into the main room with the others. 

“Y-yes,” Chi nodded, sitting down next to Lena, which got her a hyper and friendly wave, “because of my mistake I was set up to die. Jesse helped me and told me about this place in case we were separated.” 

“This is good,” the commander thought aloud, getting the eyes to focus on him. He mumbled a few things under his breath before looking to Chizue, “You’re just what we need kiddo, if you’re up to helping us out.” 

She kept gaze with Gabriel, watching him and not moving her gaze away. These guys were Jesse’s group, and they would need help rescuing him. She owed him for helping her out, “What do you need me for?”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! As I said feel free to give feedback and constructive criticism. I'll be updating it whenever I get the time, and if you want to help out by beta reading please drop me a message! I've got big plans for this story and I hope you guys will enjoy what is to come!


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